In Florida the highway is the BEACH!

Of the many great things  to do in Florida one of my favorites is driving on the beach. You can go for miles along the beach in Daytona. Park if you like and take a swim or a walk. And oh yes it is a highway. You have to stay in your lane and obey the speed limit. Bruce got pulled over by the Patrol for exceeding the 10 MPH limit :-)

Bye bye Jekyl Island

We are off to Titusville and more Shrimp and Grits.

Sunny in Jekyl Island

Another warm day and we are off to get grits and eggs for breakfast. Life is sweet in Georgia.

Jekyl Island Evenings

After a day of walking the beach we watch the sunset then eat seafood fettucine at Latitude 31.

Jekyl Island, Georgia

Quiet and pretty with a long beach outside right beyond the green lawn.
We're pretty happy here at the Beach View Club.

Cousins in Savannah

Here is Bruce with his cousin Steve.  Their connection goes back to southern New England way before the Revolution. Steve and his wife have been living for a long time in Savannah. They lived on their boat for year touring the eastern seaboard. We had so much fun meeting them and talking about genealogy and our adventures. To me the location of their house is unbeatable, not too far from Wiley's BBQ :-)

Wiley's Barbecue in Savannah

Ribs and Pulled Pork with beer. Nothing is better.

Savannah has history and BBQ :-)

Lovely Savannah where it is warm and friendly. Nathaniel Greene is buried here. Savannah honors this Rhode Island general, who was George Washington's right hand man, with a massive memorial in one of its squares. At the end of the Revolutionary War Savannah rewarded him with a very generous land grant. What else would lure a Rhode Islander away from the "Ocean State" ?? Actually, it may have been Wiley's BBQ. So, today we will pay homage at the grave and memorial of Gen Greene and then think of him while we feast on ribs and brisket :-)

"Delie" Cheese Steaks

Not "Phillie", but definitely delicious. Especially with Milwaukee draft. SO MUCH FUN! That's how we would describe last night's dinner in Wilmington, Delaware, with Dot, Bob and Lee.  Great food and great company. The only problem with seeing Dot is being reminded about how much we miss her. It has been  about 15 years since she lived next door. They have to come see us!

Coffee Press, Citrus Juicer and Philly Cheesesteak

The coffee press and the citrus juicer are packed. Bathing suits too. Goodbye winter. IF we do not get snowed in, we start driving tomorrow to Florida. We look forward to warm weather, alligators, beaches, especially South Beach Miami, Latin music, enchiladas in roadside taquerías, citrus groves, barbecue at Wiley's in Savannah, mangrove swamps, shrimp, and seeing family and friends. We are also looking forward to "Delie" Cheese Steak.

Our first stop is Wilmington, Delaware. Our usual first stop is the City of Brotherly Love for a "Philly" Cheese Steak, but our friends in Wilmington swear that "Delie" Cheese Steak is even better! We'll see. I have never had a Philly Cheese Steak which topped what they serve in Philadelphia. Maybe it is the atmosphere of being so close to Independence Hall and the hallowed Liberty Bell. Somehow I truly believe that lunch break back on the sweltering fourth day of  July 1776 our forefathers found the strength to go for it after they feasted on a genuine Philly Cheese Steak.

I have been obsessed with Philly Cheesesteak ever since I had my first when I was in Philadelphia for the first time for an Army-Navy football game. It was so good and when I discovered that what other places might label "Philly Cheese Steak" is not it, I spent long hours trying to duplicate the real thing. Not easy. You need the right buns, the right meat, the right cheese, and the proper technique. I have been able get the meat and cheese and I have the technique, but I still have not managed to either buy or make the de rigueuer Amoroso buns. Googling brings up a lot on line about Philly Cheese Steaks. I was amused by CNN blogger Matt Sloan's post "Three steps to cheesesteak supremacy". 

Meanwhile the snow is falling. We may not make it after all. We do not have a snow scraper for the car. And then there is the steep hill which is now all slippery.

Protecting the US/Mexico Border

It costs more to protect the US - Mexico border than it costs to fund all other US police operations combined. The video "Over the line: Fighting corruption on our border" televised today on CBS Sunday Morning on January 13, 2013 shows what it is like down there.
See the video at this url http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57563687/over-the-line-fighting-corruption-on-our-border/  accessed 1/13/13.

Meanwhile the U.S. Customs and Border Protection will open  an unmanned, computerized, pedestrian-only, crossing station in Big Bend National Park.  So inhabitants of the small Mexican town of Boquillas del Carmen will again be able to come across to shop in the park store as they did before 9/11. The crossing will be open only during daylight hours, and it will be "staffed" by scanner-equipped, remotely operated kiosks and it will be monitored by surveillance cameras.
Read the article at http://gcn.com/blogs/pulse/2013/01/cbp-remote-tech-unmanned-border-crossing.aspx accessed 1/13/13.